Position players pitching has become all the rage in Major League Baseball this season.
Some find it fun and quirky. Some think managers have taken it too far, using position players early in blowouts rather than at the end.
Where ever you stand on the tactic, you should be able to appreciate what Angels catcher Francisco Arcia did on Thursday in Oakland.
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For the first six innings of the game, Arcia was in the squat, catching six different Angels pitchers. But after those six innings, the A's led the Angels 18-2, so manager Mike Scioscia decided to save one of unlimited relief pitchers (oh hey September roster expansion) and put Arcia on the mound.
Arcia got the first two outs of the seventh, but then give up a single to A's catcher Josh Phegley, a two-run homer to left fielder Nick Martini and another homer to third baseman Chad Pinder. Arcia would go on to pitch a 1-2-3 eighth inning.
Then things got really weird in the top of the ninth inning. With two outs and the A's up 21-2, Arcia hit a solo home run off A's reliever Chris Hatcher. If you go back and watch the replay of the home run closely, you can actually see Arcia laughing as he's rounding the bases.
Why is this news? Because Arcia is the first player in the modern era of MLB to catch, pitch and homer in the same game.
So, for those fans that stuck around the Coliseum to watch the end of a bloodbath, they got to see something that has never happened in MLB history. Congrats to them. Hang on to that ticket. They still make tickets, right?